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Monday, August 29, 2005

Sea Lions at the L.A. Zoo

What's New in the City of Angels

Shuttling Off to Malibu

A new weekend ParkLINK Shuttle offers transportation through the Santa MonicaMountains, making it easier for residents and visitors to get to parks, trailheads and beaches. For $1 per person (free for children under age 5), the shuttle carries hikers, bicyclers, picnickers, beachgoers and other recreation hounds to several spots in the mountains and along the Malibu coastline. The bus loop includes stops at MalibuCreekState Park in Calabasas and Paramount Ranch and Peter Strauss Ranch in the Agoura area. Free and paid parking spaces are available. The buses stop approximately every half hour from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting in fall. They are wheelchair accessible and have room for backpacks, bicycles, boogie boards and other recreational gear. Parking is available at any of the parking lots along the route. Free parking is available at all National Park Service sites. California State Parks give a $2 discount off the regular $8 parking fee to shuttle users at Malibu Creek and Tapia. www.nps.gov/samo/shuttle/

Passenger Screening to Speed up at LAX

LAX has announced a $15.9 million plan to expand passenger checkpoints. The expansion will add seven screening lanes, plus signs, lighting, security cameras and alarms by July 2006, bringing the total number of checkpoint lanes to 66. Ten lanes were added during the past year. Passenger volume at LAX is projected to be more than 64 million in 2005. Future improvements include the addition of three more lanes with state-of-the-art passenger screening technology to Terminal 1 and more lanes in Terminals 2, 4 and 6. Currently, LAX has the highest number of passenger screening lanes (nearly 60) among all U.S. airports. www.lawamedia.org

Museums Sponsor "Free-For-All"

LA-area museums such as the AutryNationalCenter, JapaneseAmericanNationalMuseum, SkirballCulturalCenter and Museum of Contemporary Art are hosting a "free-for-all" on Oct. 1. Anyone visiting any of the 24 participating museums that day will get in free. A first for the LA area, the "Museums Free-For-All" is sponsored by the Museum Marketing Roundtable, a group of local museum marketing professionals. The offer does not include parking fees or special exhibitions. Call (323) 667-2000 ext. 316, for more information.

Sea Lions Greet Visitors Entering LA Zoo

Visitors entering the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens are greeted by five frolicking sea lions in the zoo's newest habitat, Sea Lion Cliffs. The exhibit resembles California's Channel Islands area, where wild sea lions make their homes. Visitors can view the salt-water habitat from an underwater glass viewing area, at water level, or from an above-water station with a small seating area for behavioral demonstrations. Sea Lion Cliffs is the finishing touch to the zoo's new, 9-acre entry plaza, which also features the Children's DiscoveryCenter, the new base for all of the zoo's educational programs. General admission to the zoo is $10; seniors and children pay less. Group discounts are available for parties of 15 or more. www.lazoo.org

Nana's Garden Offers Pampering and a Playpen

At Nana's Garden in West LA, parents can get a massage, facial or other spa treatment while the kids have fun with arts and crafts, an indoor playpen and even tarot card readings. Nana's Garden, a day spa and day-care center owned by actress Connie Stevens and her daughters, Joely and Tricia Fisher, is LA's newest respite for busy families. While it typically caters to locals (including celebrities), for a monthly membership fee, it welcomes visitors on a per-treatment basis, plus $10 to $15 per day per child (depending on whether the parent is getting a treatment) for day care. Nana's Garden also offers a café (with a kids' menu, of course) and a boutique. www.nanasgarden.net